To all the SA Students doing Jool, Rag, Carnival (whatever)  this week: “ Enjoy it!”  and remember to drink responsibly.

My two favourite berries in the world are Halle Berry and strawberry. Halle Berry is probably out of my league this summer but ‘strawberry’ is here and ready to party.

Recipe: The Berry Delicious Versus Cocktail

Ingredients

400ml sliced strawberries

½ cup sugar

1 bottle Versus Red Wine

1 litre lemonade

5 teaspoons honey

Mint for garnish

Directions

Crush and mix  the strawberries with the sugar honey  and the wine. Leave for 1 to 4 hours. Add lemonade and serve over ice.

Although we do not have a white Christmas a summer festive season has its benefits. The beach and outdoor parties as well as a variety of great summer drinks are some of the advantages of a summer holiday season.

Here is an awesome cocktail and the ideal festive season drink.

The Versus  Holiday delight

Ingredients

• 200g cranberries
• 50g caster sugar
• 150ml fresh orange juice
• 100 ml Versus Rosé wine
• 1 bottle chilled sparkling wine

Method

Place the cranberries, sugar and orange juice in a small pan and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes until soft, then press through a fine mesh sieve and leave to cool. You should have about 200ml of thin purée. Cover and chill.

Give the purée a stir, then spoon a rounded tablespoon into six glasses. Add a tot Rosé wine per glass.  Fill up with fizz and give it a quick twizzle to blend.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Who should be held responsible for under-age liquor purchases as the trend seems to be to point fingers at everyone else? The truth is, the responsibility lies with each and every one of us as individuals. In light of this ongoing issue and challenge, the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA) has launched their newly designed in-store sticker campaign titled RU18 to assist in increasing awareness amongst retailers and the public alike and combating the current stream of underage alcohol purchases.

“The aim is to reinforce the ARA message of responsible drinking by keeping the legal age limit top of mind for both the purchaser and the distributor as well as discouraging adults from sending underage buyers to buy alcohol for them,” says ARA spokesperson Adrian Botha.

Creating awareness regarding the role that traders play in driving a reduction of alcohol abuse in their respective communities is key to stemming the problem. Internationally published author of the LifeTalk books, Izabella Little Gates commented, “underage drinking is a real problem the world over, not just in South Africa and it is up to us as parents and communities to put a stop to the problem at the root, limiting underage children access to purchasing alcohol.

Children and teenagers are faced with a variety of difficult challenges while growing up, most importantly the effect of peer pressure and it is up to parents and communities at large to instill a sense of responsibility and awareness in their children so that they make the right choices when they are put in these situations.”

“The ARA acknowledges underage drinking as a huge problem. It is only with the assistance of the distributing outlets and by encouraging responsible behavior amongst purchasers that we can reduce the extent to which this is happening. While this campaign is targeted on the purchase of alcohol, we are continually focused on educating adults regarding awareness of the availability of alcohol within the home to underage drinkers” continues Botha.

The ARA is in the process of distributing their in-store point of sale material to various outlets over the next few months and look forward to working alongside store owners and retail employees to create greater awareness around their latest campaign.

So this festive season and on an ongoing basis, do your bit and take responsibility by alerting others to the issue of underage drinking and the extent to which children can access alcohol so that together, we may help curb this problem.

Versus Wines  support the drink responsible efforts of ARA

 Read more…

Versus wines, popular with consumers for their unbelievable value, have expanded the range to include a two litre Box Wine, available in Red, White and Rosé. Conveniently sized and well-priced to offer even more exceptional value, the Versus boxed wines offer consumers an alternative to the Versus 750-ml bottled range, which includes classics in Red, White and Rosé, along with the ever-popular Versus Naturally Sweet range.

Corné Oosthuizen, Brand and Business Development Manager at ‘the company of wine people™’ explains, “We have a loyal following of consumers that rely on Versus for its easy-living wines that deliver on quality as well as a crisp, uncomplicated taste. Our consumers are constantly on-the-go, so we wanted to expand our range with an option that will meet their needs for greater convenience.”

Oosthuizen continues, “While most box wines in South Africa are 3-litres in size, we believe that our handy 2-litre option answers a gap in the market for easier portability and greater convenience. Plus, since our box wines are filled with the same wine available in glass bottles, which have been recognised with top honours in the 2012 Best Value Guide, Versus consumers won’t have to sacrifice quality for price.”

In line with the recent launch of new packaging across the entire Versus range, which has been featured extensively in the media, the box wines feature packaging that looks as refreshing as the wine inside. With a bright colour palette, straight-forward taste descriptors, prominent positioning of the iconic Versus diamond, the packaging communicates the unique personality of the Versus brand while achieving a striking presence on shelf.

Underlining Versus’ ability to deliver exceptional value, the packaging also features a dedicated area that can be customised for market-specific offers. For example, in South Africa the launch of the Versus box wines will be promoted with a Value-Add Offer of two litres for the price of 1.5 litres – or 33% more free. Additional support will be delivered with a focused publicity campaign that will leverage Versus’ powerful presence across social media.

This expansion of the ever popular Versus range to include box wine in a consumer-friendly two litre size is just another example of the brand’s ability to innovate and stay ahead of the curve. Already known as a trendsetting brand for its unconventional approach to advertising, and armed with a powerful presence across social media, the brand’s footprint (which is already strong in South Africa as well as other key European markets) is positioned for even more growth. Oosthuizen says, “This shows us that we are moving in the right direction and delivering on consumer insight to ensure greater demand.”

Available in Red, White and Rosé, the Versus 2-litre boxed wines are exceptionally well-priced at just R49.99 each, and will be available on shelf nationwide from January 2012. More listings are expected to follow soon.

Cocktails and punches are one of the key elements in hosting a great party.  But sometimes , when you’re hosting a large party,   the last thing you want is to be stuck behind the bar shaking cocktails. This not only takes some of the fun out of the party for you, but it also takes you away from your guests.

The Viva Versus  punch  are a wonderful party potion that are filled with flavour. With a little creativity, the punch bowl can be dressed up to fit any occasion. It’s the perfect solution to easily serve large groups.

Ingredients

3 cups Fruit Juice ( Red Grape Juice)

3 cups Lemonade

The juice of 2 oranges

750 ml – bottle of  Versus Red

200ml Vodka

Instructions

Mix and pour over ice in large punch bowl. Add lemonade or soda water to taste. The idea is not to be afraid of what you add or what it looks like afterwards, because a punch which is a standard base will taste great with any well thought additions.

Versus supports responsible drinking-  ARA

Source: barnonedrinks.com

Here is a fantastic cocktail recipe, ideal for adding a touch of pink to a party.

The Versus Pretty in Pink Cocktail:

Ingredients

• 2 Shots of Vodka
• 4 Shots of Versus Rosé Wine
• 2 Shots of Apple Juice
• 4 Raspberries
• 2 Strawberries
• Ice Cubes

Method

Muddle (crush) the raspberries & strawberries in a cocktail shaker, mix all ingredients, shake well & pour into a Tall Cocktail Glass filled with ice.

Garnish

Fresh Strawberries sliced and a few Black Bendy Straws to finish

Source: cocoandbo.com

Cramming for exams can leave you very hungry and with not a lot of time to prepare food. Here is a quick, cheap and delicious exam supper.

Ingredients (for 1)

• 75g spaghetti or any other pasta you wish to use
• 25g lighter soft cheese
• milk – at least 25 ml for a thick sauce or more for a thinner sauce –
• 1/4 packet of button mushrooms quartered
• 3 slices of ham
• knob of butter

Method

1) Boil the water for spaghetti – I always add salt

2) Whilst waiting for the water to boil chop the mushrooms into quarters and cut the ham into strips

3) When boiled add the spaghetti to the water

4) Start to fry the mushrooms in a knob of butter

5) Gradually add the soft cheese and milk in roughly equal quantities until the sauce is at a thickness you require

6) When the spaghetti is very nearly ready or done add the ham to the sauce

7) Drain the spaghetti and return to the pan

Add the sauce mixture to the drained spaghetti and stir

9) Serve and enjoy.

Reminder:

Remember to stock-up on the Versus Wines for the post exam parties.

Source: studentrecipes.com

You can download The Best Value Wine Guide as a PDF on winemag.co.za.

Our Versus Dry White 2011 and the Versus Dry Red 2010 are some of the value wines featured in this guide.

This is the 4th year running that Versus wines will be featured in the Best Value Guide – and this year, our Versus Red was recognised with a Best Value Award for outstanding value after receiving a perfect score (scooping 20 points out of 20 possible points) for exceptional quality!

Unconventional and easy drinking Versus Wines have two wines which will feature in the Best Value Wine Guide 2012.

The Versus White 2011 and the Versus Red 2010  will be in this handy wine guide.

This is the 4th year running that Versus wines will be featured in the Best Value Guide – and this year, our Versus Red was recognised with a Best Value Award for outstanding value after receiving a perfect score (scooping 20 points out of 20 possible points) for exceptional quality!

Of the 982 competing wines, 380 wines were selected for inclusion in the Best Value Guide and only 38 wines received a Best Value award, making this achievement a stellar success.

For more info on this guide visit winemag.co.za

Versus wines launches a refreshed, more colourful look this month, portraying the brand’s no-nonsense approach to wine and flair for the unconventional with lighter, brighter colours that make it more visually striking at point of purchase.

Chris O’Shea, Executive Director for Sales and Marketing at ‘the company of wine people explains, “After a process of extensive consumer research and consultation with industry experts and valued trade partners, we are confident that the new labels will achieve greater prominence on shelf while better demonstrating the unique personality of the Versus brand.”

He explains, “Our consumers have given us great insight into what needed to be changed on the packaging, and we have taken their input to ensure that the brand presence – which is already strong in South Africa and in other global markets – continues to grow.”

“Our consumers consider the clean, classic diamond logo to be iconic for the brand, so this remains but it has also been enhanced to be bolder and more visible on the label,” adds O’Shea.

He says, “The icon is further reinforced on the capsules, where the brand name ‘Versus’ is unconventionally printed in the shape of a diamond and set against the lighter, brighter colour palette.”

“Our consumers take a fun, lighthearted approach to wine drinking,” explains O’Shea. “Versus is loved by fans who want an easy-living wine that delivers on quality as well as a crisp, uncomplicated taste so now we have taste descriptors that tell them, purely and simply, what’s in the bottle – for example, ‘Crisp and Fruity’ or ‘Mellow and Smooth.’”

The Versus brand continues to bring a refreshing, fun approach to the enjoyment of wine through its innovations. “Our consumers are always on-the-go and embrace technology in the new media space,” he adds. “We now also make use of QR-codes on the label, which gives our consumers greater freedom to interact with the brand when, and where, they want to.”

Versus already enjoys a strong presence in South Africa and, with sales on the rise in both in South Africa and key European markets, it’s global footprint is expanding.

“This shows us that we are moving in the right direction and delivering on consumer insight to ensure greater demand,” O’Shea adds. “Versus continuously strives to challenge perceptions and the brand will see some innovative product developments – including the launch of a 2-litre Boxed Wine option – in the coming months.”

The bold and colourful new look of Versus wines is currently available on shelf.

Congratulations and thanks once again to our fabulous “Win a Party” winner, Mutonda Mutondwa! From the party pics it looks like it was a grand success and we’re so glad you enjoyed the Versus cocktails!

Here is Mutonda’s Facebook comment:

“Wow ,where do i begin !! im so happy with the way my party went . from the day i won the party till yesterday when it actually happened the versus team has been so great ,open communication and efficient planning.. the party was yesterday and everyone organised arrived on time from the liquidchef people who made the wonderful cocktails to the professional photographer, wow i was beyond impressed. the cocktails where so nice and all my guests truly enjoyed them each and every many options we were given. THANK YOU VERSUS WINES i even have so much left over bottles enough to host another party!!!!!THANK YOU.”

After receiving a record-number of close to 1000 entries –– Mutonda Mutondwa was selected as the lucky winner of our Versus ‘Win-a-Part’ competition! She quickly organized a group of her gorgeous friends for a celebration of note, complete with her own paparazzi.

One of the cocktail recipes Mutonda really enjoyed was the Versus Glamour Girl cocktail.  These cocktails were prepared by a team of LiquidChefs as tasty as the cocktails.

Recipe: Versus Glamour Girl

Ingredients

Peach Schnapps

Cranberry juice

Versus White

Method

Add ingredients to Boston glass, cubed ice, shake and strain

Garnish

Cherry dropped in glass

Here is an awesome cocktail and the ideal summer drink.

Ingredients

• 200g cranberries
• 50g caster sugar
• 150ml fresh orange juice
• 100 ml Versus Rosé wine
• 1 bottle chilled sparkling wine

Method

Place the cranberries, sugar and orange juice in a small pan and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes until soft, then press through a fine mesh sieve and leave to cool. You should have about 200ml of thin purée. Cover and chill.

Give the purée a stir, then spoon a rounded tablespoon into six glasses. Add a tot Rosé wine per glass.  Fill up with fizz and give it a quick twizzle to blend.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Bet your friends that you can make wine magically go into an upside down glass.

All you need is:

1. A shallow bowl or dish
2. ¼ glass of  Versus Red wine
3. A small candle
4. A friend willing to bet that you can’t do it

Here is how you do it:

.

Good Fellas is a hassle free alternative to drinking and driving and it is the preferred choice of thousands of responsible South Africans.

They started in 2004 in Port Elizabeth and have expanded to all the mayor South African cities. With the festive season in full swing, there are plenty of opportunities to use a service like this. This service is available in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London.

For more info visit www.gfellas.co.za or Contact the National Call Centre on (0) 861 433 552 .

We support this initiative and urge consumers to make use of this service.

Versus ‘Win a Party worth R15000’ Competition:

And the winner is Mutonda Mutondwa – congratulations!

Time to get your guest list going – you’re party will be complete with Versus Cocktails, prepared by our professional team of Liquid Chefs!

To everyone who entered this competition, thanks for the amazing response and best of luck for next time!

Versus will be participating in the 12th annual food and wine evening at Richdens Superspar. The event is a charity fundraiser, which has over the years raised almost R280 000 which has benefited many of the very needy local charities through the efforts of the Rotary Club of Hillcrest. All proceeds generated (for example from tickets sales and raffles) will be donated to charity.

Versus wines, including Dry White, Dry Red, Natural Sweet Red and Natural Sweet Rose will all be available for tasting at the event, which will take place on Fri 30 Sept from 18h30 to 21h30, at the Richdens Superspar, located on Saint Margarets Road, Hillcrest KZN. For more information about the event, phone 031 761 5540

Spritzers have been around for years and barmen all over the world describe this drink as the easiest of all the cocktails. And with spring on our doorsteps, wine spritzers make for a refreshing change.”

Here’s how to make a white wine spritzer .

Ingredients:

- 125ml white wine (Versus will be just right)

- Soda water  or mineral water

- Lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

- Fill a white wine glass or highball glass with ice.

- Pour in the wine.

- Top with club soda or mineral water.

- Garnish with a lime wedge.

Wine cocktails are not as well-known as the classic spirit-based cocktails and you normally see much more spirit cocktails on the menus.

But, the glass is half-full as many undiscovered wine cocktails await to be created, explored and named. This is so cool, you can make your own cocktail and name it.

My wine cocktail invention for the week is the Versus Red Devil.

It is so easy to make, very delicious and ideal for the summer.

Ingredients

• ½ lemon
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 125ml Versus Red
• Lime garnish

Preparation

1. Muddle lime and sugar until all lemon juice is extracted.
2. Add wine. Pour with ice into a shaker and shake vigorously.
3. Pour into a glass and garnish with a lime spiral.

Useless facts are sometimes more interesting than useful facts. For instance, people spend about two weeks of their lives at traffic lights and a snail can sleep for three years. This is more interesting than most of the stories on the news last night. Do you agree?

More useless info:

• - Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts
• - American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad in first class.
• - People spend about two weeks of their lives at traffic lights!
• - Left handed people live slightly shorter lives than right handed people.
• - Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England, but only in tropical fish stores.
• - If the entire population of earth was reduced to exactly 100 people,50% of the world’s currency would be held by 6 people.
• - In comic strips, the person on the left always speaks first.
• - A snail can sleep for three years.
• - In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all of the world’s nuclear weapons combined.
• - Pearls melt in vinegar.
• - Walt Disney was afraid of mice.
• - Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
• - You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television
• The Versus Wine label is a perfect square and no real gold was used to produce the label

Source: stunning-stuff.com

These three Versus Wines wine will be showcasing at this year’s Soweto Wine Festival.

Visitors are welcome to visit our stall and taste these exciting wines.

For more info on the event visit sowetowinefestival.co.za

The TOPS Soweto Wine Festival is in its 7th year and it is becoming one of the highlights on the South African wine calendar. This event will be held at the UJ Soweto campus from 1 – 3 September. For more info about the event visit sowetowinefestival.co.za.

If you are planning to visit the show , please join us for a glass of unconventional Versus Wines.

If you can’t make it to the show, Versus is now available for purchase on  wine.co.za

Here is the event’s advert which is currently showing  across DStv Channels: “Shake Things Up in Soweto”.

Hope to see you there!

The Wine Show Joburg was a great success and we would like to thank everyone who visited our stand.

Here are few pictures from this event.

Thanks to all the Kwa-Zulu Natalians who tasted our wines at last weekend’s In-store tastings.

Hope you enjoyed the wines!